fbpx Put Your Baggage to Work | Gokhale Method Institute
Sign up for our Positive Stance™ Newsletter

Put Your Baggage to Work

February, 2016

When the weather is cold, we bundle up in gloves, scarves, hats, and sweaters. But these aren't the only extra burdens we carry. From Kleenex and chapstick in our purses, to holiday shopping bags, skis, and umbrellas, being prepared for the season means taking on extra weight. If carried incorrectly, extra loads contribute to neck and shoulder tension, fatigue in the arms, and back pain. If carried well, winter loads provide a welcome exercise opportunity at a time when exercise is harder to come by.

The following tips can help you reap benefits, rather than back pain, from carrying a purse and other bags.

1) Let the weight of the purse pull your shoulder gently downward. Don't tense your shoulder upward against the weight of the purse. This gently stretches your trapezius muscle, instead of tightening it, and gives your muscles a rest.

2) Carry your purse closer to your spine than your belly button. Use your elbow to nudge the bag or straps towards your back. This way, there's less torque on your back, the purse doesn't slide from your shoulders as easily, and the weight of the purse helps settle your shoulder backward instead of forward.


On the left, Maya uses her purse to keep her shoulder 
back, and to stretch her pec and trapezius muscles.
On the right, she has unhealthy shoulder posture.

3) Use your inner corset so that carrying your purse/bag becomes a healthy workout for your abdominal and intrinsic back muscles. By using your muscles to carry the weight of your bag, you spare your spinal discs and nerves. Chapter 5 in 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back teaches you how to use your inner corset. Click here to download this chapter for free.


If this woman from Burkina Faso was not
using her inner corset, the weight of the bucket
would compress her spine.

Cheers,
Esther

Like what you read and want more? Sign up for our newsletter!

Comments

Love this...I get these questions all the time!

So happy we can keep the wisdom circulating!

I found the very same solution to carrying my bag of books when taking groups of people along the herbal path I laid out below the fairytale castle of Braunfels, Germany. It's good for an upright posture that enhances address and conveys an impression of openness and competence.

Upcoming Workshops

Introduction to The Gokhale Method and Living Pain-Free
Date and time: Monday, May 29, 2023
4:00pm

Pacific Time

Open spots: Open
Language: English
Teacher: Esther Gokhale

Posture Remedies for Text Neck

Date and time: Thursday, June 01, 2023
4:00pm

Pacific Time

Open spots: Open
Language: English
Teacher: Esther Gokhale

Is It Too Late to Change Your Posture?

Date and time: Thursday, June 08, 2023
12:00pm

Pacific Time

Open spots: Open
Language: English
Teacher: Esther Gokhale

Sturdy, Upright, and Tall: Posture for Aging

Date and time: Wednesday, June 14, 2023
1:00pm

Pacific Time

Open spots: Open
Language: English
Teacher: Esther Gokhale
Introduction to The Gokhale Method and Living Pain-Free
Date and time: Thursday, June 15, 2023
6:00pm

Europe/Berlin

Open spots: Open
Language: German
Teacher: Julie Johnson

Scoliosis and the Gokhale Method

Date and time: Friday, June 16, 2023
11:00am

Pacific Time

Open spots: Open
Language: English
Teacher: Esther Gokhale

Fix your feet with the Gokhale Method

Date and time: Thursday, June 22, 2023
4:00pm

Pacific Time

Open spots: Open
Language: English
Teacher: Esther Gokhale

Is it too late to change your posture?

Date and time: Thursday, June 29, 2023
11:00am

Pacific Time

Open spots: Open
Language: English
Teacher: Esther Gokhale